'Mickey Mouse' courses banned from college league tables

Thousands of courses in subjects such as "cutting facial hair" and "fitting
eyelash extensions" are to be stripped out of official league tables in a
fresh crackdown on Mickey Mouse qualifications, it was announced today.

The Department for Education is radically overhauling league tables for colleges and school sixth-formsPhoto: PA

Almost 4,000 vocational courses – nine-in-10 of those currently run across England – may no longer be included in rankings for colleges and school sixth-forms as part of a move to raise education standards, it was revealed.

The Department for Education said only qualifications that lead directly into the workplace, further study or university should be counted from 2014 onwards.

In a separate announcement, it was also revealed that a new range of courses in engineering and construction would be developed to raise skill levels in these disciplines.

The move comes amid fears that many 16- to 19-year-olds are being encouraged to sit Level 3 courses – qualifications roughly equivalent to A-levels – to boost college rankings rather than improve their education.

A report from Alison Wolf, professor of public sector management at King’s College London, estimated that 350,000 students in the age group are being “poorly served” by their current courses.

DfE figures show that the number of students taking vocational courses almost tripled between 1995 and 2010, while A-level entries increased by just 20 per cent over the same period.

Today’s plans, which will be subject to a public consultation, will see 4,000 Level 3 courses no longer count towards post-16 league tables. Remaining vocational qualifications will also be counted separately from academic A-levels.

Courses being cut out include a qualification in “improving own learning and performance” and one in “personal development for progression”.

A certificate in “higher sports leadership” will also be discounted, alongside courses in “cutting facial hair”, “lash extensions” and one in the “principles of animal management within a pet store”.

It was claimed that these qualifications alone did not act as a progression onto a job or further course, with many students needing to take supplementary qualifications as an add-on.

Ministers said that colleges would still be able to offer these courses but they would not count in league tables.

Matthew Hancock, the Skills Minister, said: “At the moment too many students are spending time working hard but getting nowhere. This is not their fault.

“The vocational courses they are taking have limited value in the jobs market. But because they count equally in the performance tables, they appear to have the same value. This is not true.”

The comments came as it was announced that seven new courses in engineering and construction will be developed as part of an overhaul of vocational education in schools.

The Royal Academy of Engineering will advise on four engineering qualifications that will be equivalent to GCSEs for 14- to 16-year-olds.

A new advisory committee led by Roy Cavanagh, training and education executive at Seddon Construction, will take the lead on three more construction courses.